Cultural Calendar

The moon makes no light of its own. It reflects the sun, and as it circles Earth every 29.5 days we see more or less of its sunny side.

A 260-day count used in Mesoamerica for over 2,000 years: 13 numbers turning with 20 day signs. Daykeepers in highland Guatemala still keep this count today.

A modern calendar created in 1987 by José Argüelles, inspired by the Maya count. It gives each of 13 “tones” and 20 colored “seals” its own meaning. It runs on its own rules (it skips February 29), so it usually lands on a different day than the traditional count above. Both are fun to compare!

A 60-step cycle from ancient China: 10 “heavenly stems” paired with 12 “earthly branches,” the zodiac animals. It counts years as well as days. In Japan, turning 60 is called 還暦 (kanreki), “the calendar comes back around.”

Six kinds of lucky and unlucky days that came from China and stuck in Japan. Most Japanese wall calendars still print them, and many people check them before weddings and funerals.

Nine “stars” from the Lo Shu, an ancient Chinese magic square. Legend says it appeared on the back of a turtle rising from the Luo River. Japanese fortune-telling still uses it for lucky directions.